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Two or three people have left blunt comments letting me know that they are sick of my writing about BioShock, or that I should shut up about it and buy an XBox 360. I realize that I have not been taking everyone’s needs into account when writing about this subject. Now I feel bad. Let me make it up to you.

lol
Great answer.
But I don’t have that button on mine. Mine’s a similar shape, but a different color. I think I’ll just sit here and wait to find out if I should use it or wait for a patch to update my button to be twenty-sided compliant.
(3 cheers for firefox)

When I started reading the post, I thought you were going to apologize to a bunch of people and start listening and doing what they say :) , and then the second part of the post totally caught me off-guard, you really know how to create a moment of tension (confirmed many times with the comic)
Cheers

Hehe, awesome post. If I had a PC that could COPE with Bioshock, I would be pissed off with all that’s been going on. As it is, look like I won’t be playing it for a few years anyway. But keep up the good, indignant work.

LOL! This column should be posted around the internet – so many people seem to have the same problem with figuring out to do with things on the net that they aren’t personally interested in.

For the record, I don’t own BioShock, never plan on buying it, and wouldn’t have even if I’d never heard a word about it – but I’ve been reading your posts about it, because I find what you’re saying interesting.

First time poster/following DM of the Ring for months blah blah.
Anyway, it has begun to dawn on me that Shamus has a lot to say about videogames. They seem important to him, and he makes them important to me. It’s like they’re the gesamtkunstwerk of the 20th century, and Bioshock is the Rings cycle, and this blog is _Nietszche Contra Wagner._
Or maybe that’s stretching it a bit.

I never cared for the whole BioShock thing, mostly because I don’t play PC games. While it sounds like a pretty crappy situation, telling people to STFU and buy a new system is lame. I’m a PS3 fan myself, so I’m not gonna spend more money on an Xbox.

I sincerly hope that this advice will reach youtube. Actually no, I pray to Jawe, Allah, Odin and Zeus. But probably even those united won’t be capable to heal youtube from ultimative dumbness. :-f. Not reading comments is no solution either. I’m so lost.

And thanks to the tip-offs, my “must have Bioshock” fever has been appropriately cooled. Keeping graphics drivers stable enough to play my favourite PC games is hard enough, without them adding extra challenges to the whole operation.

My room mate once envisioned a post-modern computer game where the object of the game is to install and successfully run the game…

LOL! Great post. :D I’m another one who never had any intention of getting Bioshock because it’s not the sort of game I enjoy. I’ve been reading your posts about it anyway, though, because the way 2K has been treating its customers is relevant to every gamer, regardless of their favored genres.

And the idiots trying to tell you what you can and can’t write in your own blog are, unfortunately, all over the net. You could probably make a fortune licensing this post out so others who are being poked by idiots can change the topic being griped about and post your handy how-to-find-the-Back-button graphic. [wry smile] Although I’m convinced that at least half the browsers in the world didn’t come with that button, the way so many people whine.

The LJ-feed cuts off your entries after a certain number of characters, so all I saw at first was this: “Two or three people have left blunt comments letting me know that they are sick of my writing about BioShock, or that I should shut up about it and buy an XBox 360. I realize that I have not been taking everyone's needs into account when writing about this subject. Now I feel […]”

I was going to come and comment that you can damn well write about whatever you want to write about, but I see you’ve taken care of that. ^__~ HA!

After sitting around for 6 days waiting for my Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare token code that would admit me into the XBL BETA, I’ve about had it with anybody who tells anyone else what to do with their website / blog. Yeah, I wanted to play, but I patiently (somewhat) waited until my number came up, having been previously promised a token by the designers. I now have it and have been playing. (Note to Shamus et al, I would never TELL you to get a 360, but I gotta say that this is going to be one awesome game and will probably even give Halo 3 a run for its money on XBL.)

How Infinity Ward handled the problems they experienced with rolling out the beta is something you might want to study, though … it was very interesting and although anything but perfect, probably as well done as possible. I know it’s a different scenario than Bioshock (after all, the CoD4:MW beta is free) but the case study in how to handle a tough situation in the online world was worth watching. Certainly 2Kg should study it if they aren’t already aware of how badly they’re screwing the pooch.

Where was I going? Oh yea, irritation at people telling website owners what to do. “F” them. The incessant whining on http://www.charlieoscardelta.com by babies who didn’t get their token in the first wave of 10,000 was unbearable.

By the way, after playing the Bioshock demo, I had considered buying it for the 360, but after reading your threads about the PC version, have decided that I don’t need the game and don’t need to support a company that has such demonic DRM methods.

I’m not sure why I feel so glad I read Shamus’s posts on this Bioshock fiasco. I wasn’t about to buy the game. It’s not really stunning news that a company messed up and won’t be honest about doing so. Please pardon me as I ramble and think aloud.

I remember the days when, as a teenager, I would get one or two computer games *per year* as either gifts or that I would purchase for myself. That was my gaming menu.

Perhaps I was hopelessly naive in those pre-internet days, but in my mind the people creating the games cared a lot about the overall experience. Games might even come with cloth maps! A game that was buggy when released would have felt like a betrayal of one of my few new games that year. A game that resembled an older game too much would also have that sting.

On the bright side, inflation hasn’t changed the prices of computer games much since I was a teenager. Today’s kids can afford more games.

But on the non-bright side, too many games seem to be little beyond a marketing effort. Now games are typically very similar to old ones in gameplay, buggy and needing post-release patches, and if they have a story it is a meager one.

Being older I have less time for computer games, even if I could afford more. Oddly, I still only play a couple per year, if that. In the past four years I’ve most enjoyed Age of Empires II, Guild Wars (haven’t tried the expansions), the original Call of Duty, and Jade Empire. Those four lived up to my childhood expectations. Their entire experience was fun and, in different ways for each, the publishers had ongoing interaction with the gamers to improve the experience (not just to tweak the game).

Years ago I really enjoyed Thief 1 and 2, and at that time I followed the ending of Looking Glass Studios with interest and regret. I guess the Bioshock fiasco is related to that, for me. One more legacy among game creators that used to stand for quality and innovation has been mis-managed and has fallen to scandal.

With Ultima Underworld, the forefathers of Bioshock created the very first truly 3D first-person gameworld. (Before that there were only games like Wolfenstein that looked 3D but each level was actually flat.) If I’m saddened by what the Bioshock team is up to, I can’t imagine what those folk feel.

Aparently you aren’t ready to joke about this yet.. my suggestion that you get X-cube was meant as a joke .. knowing full well that I’d have to duck a flying brick.. when the post was removed (yippie… a first for me!!) I realized that I have no idea how much crap you are constantly bombarded with sitting out there on your internet limb.. I’m sorry if I caused even a momentary surge of adrenaline or tightening of the jaw.. I was going for the tightening of the abdominals in the form of a laugh.

I have no problem with you continuing to type about this issue. I am amazed that anyone would tell you what to write about.. the same guys would sit by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck.. then tell the tow truck driver where the spare is and how to put it on.

So.. my joke should have been, “Go get an Atari 2600!.. I hear Pitfall is pretty good!” .. but even that is probably pretty flat for raw nerves… sorry.

I’m the one of those blunt folks, who critisize your blog.
Maybe my comment was really bit too rough. Im sorry for that. But i get the feeling that you ignore the fact that people read your blog and those people come over and over again to your blog because they like it. I just tried to give some attention to the fact that there is some space for improvement. But if you don’t care, keep writing about a game thousand times.
I love your blog anyway.
Hav a nice day.

I wonder who told you to buy xbox,after you specifically stated that is exactly what youre not going to do and the thing you are agrivated about is the companies forcing you to spend money on something you dont actually need just so you could play a single game.

Seriously, that’s like people complaining about the lame jokes on a joke mailing list that they signed up for. Um. Just stupid. How about calling a radio station to complain about not liking the last song that played? Also stupid.

Shamus, you’re right on the money with the DRM stance. Sure, there are many things you could do to let you play the game, from hacks to a new platform, but that’s obviously not the point. That doesn’t get across the message that you’re unhappy with this company’s actions.

Rant on. We need more people speaking out against DRM and stupid corporate tactics. (I understand their trying to protect their property, but DRM just doesn’t work. All it does is get in the way of legitimate users.)

You know, the ONLY question I have for you regarding the DRM protection of SecuROM for Bioshock is why the heck you didn’t poop a brick during your discussions of Jade Empire, Prey, and Neverwinter Nights 2, all of which also used SecuROM as their copy protection.

I really don’t get it, people! Comments are not only about arse-kissing, but also about improving or giving suggestions! This might be “only” a blog (not a news network), but i still LOVE to browse it and not only to consume the stuff that is served to us. If critics are not welcome, i will shut my mouth from now on and we will just keep on reading anything coming and keep telling, what a great job Shamus does. Because i feel like anyone criticising the authur is automaticaly a stupid idiot (original Quotes) and must be burned or hanged.. Or both… And I’m scared of dying.
Bye.

Calling a radio station to complain is fine.. the radio station gets paid to entertain you.. they have paid DJs.. paid program directors.. paid engineers.

This is definately more like hanging out as a kid at your friend’s house.. his mom sees you ain’t leavin’.. so she asks you to stay for dinner.. you do.. you eat.. have seconds.. then go to school the next day and say that your friend’s mom is a lousy cook. … lame..

Here’s a dude that’s entertaining you .. putting up tons of content.. even fixes spelling errors.. and still you complain..

It’s HIS blog.. he can write as much about whatever he wants.. but you know that.. that’s why you’re trolling.. to show you have an effect in the world too..

Here’s an idea.. Write your own blog about how Shamus writes too much about Biowhatever.. maybe someone will even read it. .. Shamus would probably even link to it in a blog someday.. now.. go get busy.

@Shamus: since the RSS feed only shows part of the first paragraph, I clicked in all fired up to post something along the lines of “don’t listen to them!” — and then I saw that you didn’t. Good show :)

@Anon: it’s hard to see you as anything but a troll if you go posting as “Anon”. If you can’t stand behind your own words then there’s not much point in bothering to say them in the first place.

And no, you don’t always have to agree with the author (I disagree with Shamus about Steam, for example), but that’s no reason to leave politeness and civility behind. This is his house. Respect his rules. And don’t use ad hominem attacks to try to make a point — it always backfires.

(I should point out that I haven’t read what you may have posted earlier, so the last paragraph is not directed specifically at you.)

That was awesome. Gave me a great laugh and showed the whiny guys who’s boss. Pwned!

Keep writing whatever you want. If it ceases to interest me, I’ll wander off in search of greener pastures rather than berate you for not catering specifically to my tastes. And that’s the way it should be.

@Goinalon: The issue that Shamus was mainly going off about was the two (now five) install limitation. Traditional SecuROM games don’t have such a pointless, idiotic, and arbitrary restriction (even OEM/retain copies of Windows and Office seem to be more lenient!).

Awesome answer to people complaining about the bioshock blog entries. All I can say is, this is a blog about unrelenting nerdity, and what is more nerd-like than making comments on the hilarious shit show that is 2k games and bioshock?